Golf is a game played on a natural surface, although some surfaces can be artificial. Golf essentially consists of utilizing a club to strike a ball mounted on a tee from a tee area; transporting clubs, golf accessories and personal items, typically in a bag; finding the ball; and repeating the striking and transporting process over the length of a hole until the golfer reaches the green area and completes the hole. After the completion of each hole, the clubs, golf accessories and personal items, typically in a bag, are transported by the golfer from the green area to the next tee area. This sequence is repeated throughout a round of golf, which traditionally is played outdoors on a course that consists of eighteen holes and spans a distance of between three to eight miles.
A golf bag for the transportation of clubs, golf accessories and personal items is standard equipment for any golfer. Traditional golf bags generally are cylindrical in shape with an opening at the top of the bag to accommodate the insertion and removal of clubs and some types of elongated accessories. Additionally, traditional golf bags typically are equipped with compartments or pockets placed at various locations on the outer circumference of the golf bag to facilitate the transportation and storage of golf accessories and personal items.
The storage of clubs, golf accessories and personal items adds substantial weight to the golf bag and oftentimes creates a heavy load for the golfer to lift, move, carry or otherwise transport about the golf course. As a result, golfers have availed themselves of several alternatives to ease the physical demands associated with lifting, moving, carrying or otherwise transporting a golf bag, replete with clubs, golf accessories and personal items, about the golf course and elsewhere. Golf bags have incorporated shoulder straps or hand grips to the outer circumference of the golf bag that a golfer can utilize to lift, carry or otherwise move the golf bag throughout a round of golf. A golfer can hire a caddy or an assistant to carry or otherwise move the golf bag throughout a round of golf. The golfer can place the golf bag on a motorized cart and use the cart to drive to the location of each shot. The golfer may mount the bag on a manual or motorized pull or push cart that the golfer utilizes to roll the golf bag to the location of each shot.
A golfer must expend considerable physical effort, in addition to expense, to avoid the burdens imposed by manually lifting, carrying, moving or transporting the golf bag around a golf course. Although wheels could be mounted to the base of a golf bag in a permanently fixed and exposed position, such wheels are awkward in appearance. Moreover, such wheels can be hazardous, especially when a golfer inserts or removes the bag from the trunk or storage hatch of a vehicle, stores the bag, or tries to carry or otherwise move the golf bag rather than rolling it. Golf bags with wheels in a permanently fixed and exposed position do not fit within the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of motorized carts. Wheels in a permanently fixed and exposed position create a bulky and irregular shape that makes it difficult, to impossible, to store the golf bag in conventional storage racks, bins, lockers, trunks, platforms or other similar storage configurations typically found in and around golf courses and residences. Additionally, golf bags with wheels in a permanently fixed and exposed position do not fit within traditional golf travel cover containers or systems.
Some golf bag designs have sought, in a less than elegant and practical fashion, to address the awkward appearance, difficulties in handling and storage, and operational hazards posed by wheels mounted on a bag in a permanently fixed and exposed position by making the wheels and their associated equipment detachable. However, after detachment, the wheels and their associated equipment must be stored either within the bag itself or in a separate carryall or container. When the wheels and associated equipment are stored within the bag, they severely compromise the amount of space within the bag's club storage area. The reduction in space precludes or limits the room needed for the adequate storage of clubs, golf accessories and personal items. It also impairs the golfer's ability to remove and re-insert clubs in the bag. Furthermore, the golfer must expend considerable time and effort to attach the wheels and their associated equipment to the bag before initiating play, and to detach and store the wheels and their associated equipment after play is completed.
Moreover, designs consisting of detachable wheels and their associated equipment oftentimes have necessitated that the length and circumference of a traditional golf bag be substantially increased; that the bag be reshaped in an entirely new configuration, such as a square or rectangle; or that the outer compartments of the bag be materially expanded to accommodate the storage of the detached wheels and their associated equipment as well as golf accessories and personal items. These modifications create an excessively bulky and deformed rolling bag that bears little resemblance to a traditional golf bag; is disproportionate in weight; difficult to maneuver; and not suitable for the transportation and storage of clubs, golf accessories and personal items. Enlargements in the bag's length and circumference, in addition to the bag's outer compartments, also cause the bag to be so broad, that it cannot fit within the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of motorized carts. Additionally, the bag is dimensionally incompatible with conventional storage racks, bins, lockers, trunks, platforms or other similar storage configurations typically found in and around golf courses and residences, and with traditional golf travel cover containers or systems.
Prior attempts to overcome the challenges posed by the incorporation of a transportation system into a traditionally shaped golf bag have not satisfactorily addressed all of these complications and shortcomings simultaneously. That is, there is no golf bag employing an integral transportation system that can be deployed and retracted without the need to assemble and disassemble component parts that includes three wheels versus two; that maintains the appearance and dimensions of a traditional golf bag; that includes adequate storage space for clubs, golf accessories and personal items; that utilizes a portion of the space commonly used for golf club storage to stow the integral transportation system; that does not limit the regulatory permissible number of clubs that may be stored in the club storage area; that reduces the operational hazards associated with transferring the golf bag assembly in and out of a vehicle trunk or hatch; that fits in the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of motorized carts; and that is dimensionally compatible with conventional storage racks, bins, lockers, trunks, platforms or other similar storage configurations typically found in and around golf courses and residences, and with traditional golf travel cover containers or systems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,059 appears to disclose a golf bag pull-cart with laterally extending wheels and an extendible arm that serves as a handle for the pull-cart. The spine and base of the support frame are integrated into a golf bag, and the wheels are extendible along the longitudinal axis of the axle away from the base. Nonetheless, the wheel assembly platform of the '059 patent is completely and permanently exposed even in its retracted position. The base includes recessed spaces for the wheels that only partially accept the retracted wheels. Furthermore, the height of the bag is materially greater than the height of a traditional golf bag in order to create a usable club storage area. Essentially, the '059 patent fails to disclose a golf bag where the integral transportation system can be fully retracted and stored within the golf bag when the system is not deployed and also fails to disclose a golf bag where the storage area for the integral transportation system does not require the height of the bag to be materially greater than the height of a traditional golf bag in order to maintain an adequate club storage space. Additionally, the '059 patent fails to disclose a club support and suspension system that elevates shorter clubs above the lowest point of the golf bag, and restricts the movement of all clubs during transportation. The wheel assembly present in the '059 patent precludes the golf bag of the '059 patent invention from being used in traditional storage systems and golf bag travel cover containers or systems or from being placed in the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of motorized carts. The wheel assembly mounted under the base of the bag in the '059 patent also increases the vertical dimension of the bag, and in turn, the effective height at which the clubs rest relative to the ground, thereby impeding or preventing the removal of clubs from the bag due to insufficient space between clubs and the roofing or foul weather systems typically found on motorized carts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,527 appears to disclose a hybrid golf bag that includes an open top, closed bottom body with a wheel mount attached to the bottom of the body and a handle attached near the top of the body. The wheels extend beyond the periphery of the golf bag body and retract to a position proximate to the periphery of the bag. A rigid push-pull handle is included to pull or push the golf bag body. Essentially, the '527 patent fails to disclose a golf bag where the integral transportation system is fully retracted and stored within the golf bag when the system is not deployed. The golf bag of the '527 patent will not function on a motorized cart, because the bag will not fit in the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of such carts. Further, the wheels of the '527 patent, even when retracted, will tend to rotate off the motorized cart platform. Additionally, the wheels attached to the bottom of a golf bag of the '527 patent extend the vertical dimension of the golf bag and preclude the placement of the bag in traditional storage systems and golf bag travel cover containers or systems. The '527 patent also presents clubs at a higher than normal position due to a higher lip at the top of the bag. The increased vertical dimension impedes or prevents the removal of clubs from the bag due to insufficient space between the clubs and the roofing or foul weather systems typically found on motorized carts. The '527 patent fails to disclose a golf bag where the integral transportation system is concealed and stored within the golf bag when the system is not deployed and where the stowage area for the integral transportation system does not excessively impinge upon the interior storage area for clubs. The '527 patent fails to disclose a club support and suspension system that elevates shorter clubs above the lowest point of the base or floor of the bag, restricts the movement of the grip ends of clubs during transportation, and includes perforations in the bottom panel to facilitate the ventilation of the club storage area and its drainage in the event of inclement weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,006 is another example of a golf bag with a retractable rolling assembly. The '006 patent appears to disclose a rollable golf bag that includes a assembly in which detachable wheels and related components are stored within the golf bag and must be reattached before the golfer can utilize the assembly. The golf bag of the '006 patent also necessitates that the detached wheels and related components be stored in a recessed well formed in a portion of the peripheral wall of the golf bag. This method of storage appears to have required an enlargement of the bag's overall dimensions. The '006 patent does not appear to disclose a golf bag where the transportation system is integral to the bag, that requires no assembly or disassembly of component parts, and that remains intact and is stored within the golf bag when the system is not deployed. Further, the '006 patent does not appear to disclose an integral transportation system that does not excessively impinge upon the interior storage area for clubs. Indeed, the recessed well incorporated in the peripheral wall of the bag of the '006 patent appears to significantly reduce the club storage area within the interior of the bag, despite increases in the outer dimensions of the bag. The '006 patent fails to disclose a golf bag where the integral transportation system fully retracts and is stored within the bag when the system is not deployed. Further, no disclosure is evident of a club suspension and support system that elevates shorter clubs above the lowest point of the base or floor of the golf bag, restricts the movement of the grip ends of clubs during transportation, and includes perforations in the bag's bottom panel to facilitate the ventilation of the club storage area and its drainage in the event of inclement weather.
None of the previous golf bag assemblies provides adequate space for the storage of clubs, golf accessories and personal items, while providing an integral transportation system with wheels which are fully retractable and are stowed within the geometry of a traditional golf bag without significantly compromising the storage area for clubs, golf accessories and personal items. None of the previous golf bag assemblies provides a support and suspension system for grip ends of clubs in the base or floor of the bag to minimize movement in the grip ends of clubs and thereby protect the clubs from contacting one another during transport, and also includes perforations in the bottom panel of the bag to ventilate the club storage area, to promote the drying of the grip ends of clubs and to drain the club storage area in the event of inclement weather.
What is needed is a new golf bag assembly, replete with a fully and permanently assembled integral transportation system which can be deployed with a single mechanical movement, and all of which can be fully retracted and stowed within the geometry of a traditional golf bag, and that will fit within the recessed areas of platforms attached to the rear of motorized carts; within conventional storage racks, bins, lockers, trunks, platforms or other similar storage configurations typically found in and around golf courses and residences; and within traditional golf travel cover containers or systems.